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He may only have one win in his five major-league starts, but in some clearly tangible ways, Blue Jays pitcher Joe Biagini is a gift that keeps on giving.

The team is justifiably ecstatic with the Rule 5 pickup from November 2015, a steal of a selection who continues to show signs that he has a future as a major league starter.

How solid has Biagini been in his elevation from long reliever to starter, a move necessitated by a rash of injuries to the Jays starting rotation? Well the team is already pondering the decision on their hands when Aaron Sanchez returns, likely some time in the next month.

“It’s a good problem to have and we’ll worry about it when the time comes,” Jays pitching coach Pete Walker said on Saturday prior to the second of three weekend meetings with the Mariners. “When Aaron comes back, we’ll make that decision.

“But Joe’s throwing the ball great. Certainly, in some ways he’s exceeding our expectations in the rotation and getting deep into ball games. He’s got the weapons to pitch in that rotation and have success.”

On Friday, Biagini allowed just three runs on five hits through seven innings, the second consecutive game he went that deep.

And yes, the win-loss line is completely deceiving in his case. Biagini is 0-3 in his past four starts, but has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of them, for nine total.

“We got a small sample size during spring training, but any time you transition someone into the rotation during the season and someone who hasn’t started at the major league level, that’s not easy,” Walker said. “He really has done an outstanding job.

“Getting deep into games and attacking hitters early in counts … I think he’s settling in.”

While Gibbons, Walker and Jays management might have an interesting decision to make when Sanchez does return, Biagini’s emergence as major league starting material is a big development for the future.

Both Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano are slated to be free agents after this season and it’s doubtful that the team would want to spend the money to retain both. As a Rule 5 pickup, the Jays are only paying the 27-year-old $535,000 US a season. If he continues this development, go ahead and pencil him in as a 2018 starter.

“It’s nice to get the opportunity to play and to contribute and keep it close,” said Biagini, who has a 3.38 ERA from those five starts. “It’s fascinating how much you can learn from each game you’ve played.

“It doesn’t hurt your confidence to get into a little bit of a groove.”

THE BIG MAPLE

Fitting that the Jays are in town to face one of the more promising Canadians in the majors right now, Mariners starter James Paxton, who gets the call on Sunday.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound native of Richmond, B.C. — now in his fifth season with the Mariners — is a fixture in the rotation. And because of his Canadian roots, his big frame and a big Maple Leaf tattoo on his arm, Big Maple is the nickname his teammates have hung on Paxton.

Given the choice, the Jays likely would rather not face him, either. Paxton has won all five of his starts with a tiny ERA of 1.69.

‘He’s got one of the best arms in baseball, easily,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “The first time he pitched in Canada, he didn’t get out of the first. I think we’ve seen him maybe twice since then and he’s dominated us.”

Even more painful for the Jays, they selected him with the 37th pick of the 2009 draft, but couldn’t sign him. The Mariners nabbed him in the fourth round the following year.

SIZING SANCHEZ

Conservatively it will be at least a couple of weeks before Sanchez returns to the rotation, as the team is determined that the skin on his formerly blistered finger is strong enough to handle the stress of throwing.

“We’re easing him back and making sure that thing is ready to go,” Walker said of Sanchez’s finger. “We certainly don’t want any more setbacks with it.”

The plan for now is to have a couple of sessions pitching off the mound and than after that, Walker said Sanchez will need two or three rehab starts.

Of course, with the way Biagini has been pitching lately, there is no urge to rush the process with Sanchez.

QUICK HITS

Gibbons said outfielder Steve Pearce, who is currently on a rehab assignment with double-A New Hampshire, should be back in the lineup by next weekend … In their loss Friday, the Jays outhit the Mariners 10-7, the third consecutive loss in which they had more hits than the opponent.